


Candles in the Darkness

by roxyeisen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 08:49:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13923609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxyeisen/pseuds/roxyeisen
Summary: The conversation in the church, based on the new preview.*Update: Mine was way less confusing. Just sayin, Chris.





	Candles in the Darkness

“Scully?” Mulder comes up behind her. The church is dark and quiet, lit dimly by the overhead lights and the candles in front of her.

Scully stares into the tranquil flames, silent. Brooding, even.

“What’s wrong?” He sticks his hands into his pockets. 

She looks up, almost as if she hadn’t seen him standing there. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”

“What were you thinking about?” he prompts with a patient expression.

“I feel like we’re at the end of the story. Do you know what I mean?” Her voice drops in tone, near a whisper. Is it a secret she tells, like the secrets he reads in her eyes? 

“I think we’ve got plenty of story to go.” He shrugs, looking at the candles, which dance in their glass containers. She sees them in his gaze, reflecting a world within a mind. “But I do feel like we’re on the verge of a crossroads.”

She nods, contemplative. 

“There’s still plenty left to believe in,” he says, reaching a hand to touch her arm before it finds its way back into his pocket.

She sighs. “Once upon a time, I believed I could follow you and not be overtaken by the darkness.”

His gaze drops. Telltale shame touches his expression. Lessens the hope.

“The darkness swallowed me. Ruined me. Changed me into something else.”

“Scully,” Mulder whispers, his voice a sort of pleading tone. _I’m so sorry for all that was taken from you._

“I believed we could live together,” she continues. Her eyes find his. “And I fled.”

He looks down at the floor, swallowing hard. He gives a small nod. “That wasn’t your fault alone.”

“I believed I could protect our son. And I failed him. Is God punishing me by allowing what happened?”

Mulder finds her gaze again. His eyes register the pain they’ve been through. He doesn’t speak for a long time. His gaze settles on the stained glass picture of Jesus with the children.

“I don’t know if that’s the way it works,” he finally says. 

“Then what?” she asks, looking up. “What do I believe in now?”

Silenced reigns for long moments.

Mulder's voice is quiet when he speaks. “You know, I've always wondered. How this would all end.”

“This what? The conspiracy? The contagion? Searching for our son only to watch him give his life for us?”

He shakes his head. “Not exactly. You and me. William. I always felt like one of us had to die. But I had hoped it wouldn't be either of you.”

Her face contorts as she fights tears. "I don't know why God took him away. I keep asking, but I don't have any answers. Why now? After surviving this long? It doesn't make any sense to me."

He watches her for a time, a pained expression on his face. “Scully, I don’t know if any god is listening, but I’m standing right here. And no matter what I don’t say that I should, I promise you … I’m not going anywhere.”

Her face registers her emotions. He’s touched her with his words. With the promise she needed to hear.

“Mulder, what are you saying?”

He shrugs. “I think it’s obvious.”

“Pretend it isn’t,” she says. “To humor me.”

He nods. Clears his throat. Shifts awkwardly. Then he turns to her and smiles a genuine, affectionate smile. “Scully, if A equals B, and B equals C, therefore A equals C. Reason, faith and harmony. Isn’t that why we’re so good together?”

She watches him for a long moment. Her face relaxes, though the sadness remains in her eyes. “Are we together?”

He smiles sheepishly. “I would like us to be. I guess you have to decide if you want to come home. I’ve let the place go a little bit.”

She chuckles. Their eyes lock, and they both know what comes next.

“I’ll come home.”

She leans toward him, and he catches her meaning. He lowers his head and meets her in the middle. His arms go around her waist and hers circle around his neck. They kiss as they embrace, sealing their new promises with the gesture.

Moments later, he leans back to look at her. "I asked once before and you turned me down, but I'll try it one more time."

"What?" She runs her hand along his jawline.

"Marry me."

She laughs softly. "I was hoping for something a little more helpful."

He groans as if she's wounded him. She kisses him again. "Why should I agree to that?"

He nods, as if he knows what she's looking for. "You know I already told you why a long time ago too, Dana Scully. You shut me down pretty quickly."

"Tell me again."

He pauses. The playful teasing fades from his eyes, and it's like the truth occurs to him for the first time. When he says it, it's with wonder. "I love you." He smiles sheepishly. "Please don't say _oh brother_ this time."

Tears fill her eyes. A long moment passes before she can speak. "I love you, too. And yes, I'll marry you. You really didn't have to wait twenty years to ask again."

"Once bitten, twice shy."

And as quietly as if she had never left, they go home. They climb the stairs of their porch and open the old screen door as Scully fumbles for the key. But it opens before she can unlatch the lock. They stare in shock at the figure standing in the door.

She gasps. “We saw you die,” she says, her voice faltering. Mulder can only stare in surprise.

“You see what I want you to see. And so do they.” William smirks and opens the door wide for them to enter. “I’ve been doing some cleaning, Mom. But we have our work cut out for us. He’s kind of a slob, isn’t he?”

And for once, Mulder is speechless. Scully breaths a laugh of joy and meets his eyes, and they know in that moment. They have reached the crossroads. From here, a new path will be forged. They will forget what they left behind – every hurt and betrayal, every disappointment and loss. They will live for a new goal now. They will fight the darkness not by guns and badges and flashlights and the strong arm of the law, but by love. 

Their family will be candles. Candles in the darkness.


End file.
